Software Freedom Day 2007

Hi LWN folk!

Please find below our press release about Software Freedom Day 2007. We
already have almost 150 teams registered (from over 60 countries) and the
event is almost 2 months away! We are expecting around 250 teams. I'd be
very happy to do an interview about the event, the successes and the
fantastic people who participate if that would be of interest :)

September 15th marks Software Freedom Day, the world's largest celebration
and outreach effort about why transparent and sustainable technologies like
Free & Open Source Software are so important. Community groups in more than
80 countries organise local activities and programs on Software Freedom Day
to educate the wider public about free software: what it is, how it works
and its relationship to human rights and sustainability. We already have
over 140 teams around the world registered: join them in spreading the word!
Registrations for Software Freedom Day teams that want to receive a free SFD
team pack close in two weeks, so register now!

"Software Freedom is about creating a digital platform for trust and
longevity, particularly in a future where more and more of our lives are
dependent upon technology" explains Pia Waugh, President of Software Freedom
International, the organisation behind Software Freedom Day. "It is
important we can participate in and trust the software we use in the same
way we need to be able to participate and trust in a political system.
Ultimately our basic freedoms are only as free as the tools we use, and thus
our commitment to Software Freedom."

Support for this year's Software Freedom Day event is fantastic with Google,
Mindtouch and the Free Software Foundation coming on board as sponsors as
well as long term sponsors the Danish Unix User Group and Canonical. The
event also has support from The Open CD, OsCommRes and the International
Open Source Network.

"Software Freedom Day is a fantastic event that demonstrates the global
reach of open source software." says Jane Silber, COO of Canonical. "We at
Canonical are proud to sponsor the event and encourage everyone in the
Ubuntu community, as well as the open source community writ large, to
participate in this important global event."

Registrations of teams participating in SFD will continue right up to the
event however teams who wish to receive a free SFD team pack, including
stickers, tshirts, CDs and balloons must register before the 31st July! So
get in quick! There is also an online shop where anyone can purchase tshirts
and packs of The Open CD. Teams get a 50% discount on all prices marked.
Teams that have difficult circumstances can write to the Software Freedom
International Board with special requests for additional goodies.

Already this years event is looking bigger and better than ever before, so
what will you do to help take Software Freedom to the world. After all,
freedom isn't just for geeks :)

Contact officer: Pia Waugh <pia@softwarefreedomday.org>

http://softwarefreedomday.org/PressReleases/18072007 for all links and more
details.

Cheers,
Pia

-- 
Software Freedom Day 2007 - Sept 15th            http://softwarefreedomday.org/
 
   "Is kneeling a criteria for talking to you?" - Philip Lindsay to Jeff